"Doing it Cheap" Why?

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Peter Guy

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A couple of current threads have hit me -- Why do people want to "Do It Cheap" when it comes to scuba?

Now, don't get me wrong, I can be as cheap as the next person -- just ask my wife. In fact, I've been hassling over buying a new computer that I saw on sale at $499 but won't buy it at $599 because I saw it on sale for $499.

On the other hand, not having this new computer won't cost me my life.

Anyway, people, PLEASE think about what you are doing with this activity. This is NOT to say that price absolutely correlates with excellence -- in fact with a fair amount of gear there may be an inverse correlation! But being "Penny wise and pound foolish" might be a recipe for getting yourself in a world of hurt.

Whether it is in the purchase of gear (yes that ad on Craigslist looks great but do you REALLY know how well that reg has been cared for?);

The taking of another class -- This guy/shop only charges $50 for the class so why should I spend $200 from that guy? -- without really knowing what is being offered; or

Service my reg for $100? -- heck it's just a few pieces of plastic and O-rings.

Just because it is "cheap" doesn't mean it is a good value -- just like just because it is expensive doesn't mean it is great. But buying solely on price may just not be the best option.
 
I don't pay less for something to be cheap but I do look for the best value. There is a big difference between the two. Product knowledge is the key to knowing that difference. I just picked up a Conshelf 12 & 14 and 4 tanks for $100 because I knew I could fix and sell the regs to make back my money and keep some if not all of the tanks. You might say I am cheap but I feel I saw the value of these items at a great price.
 
Research. That is the best thing any new(er) diver or even an expert diver can do. Most knowledgeable divers will thoroughly research products &/ or instructors, techniques before deciding what is the best way to get to the results they want. Gather all the knowledge you can of what you want to accomplish, the instructor you want to consider & the equipment you want to use. Now,.... that is not saying replace good prudent training, instructors or equipment with what you research, but instead, let it enhance & accompany what you are going to undertake. Get the best overall "picture" you can. When you combine both the research you have done & the best possible equipment/ instruction for the dives you want to do, then you are set up for the best possible outcome.
 
It's usually true that you get what you pay for ... but it's not always true. I used to dive with a guy who used chains for ankle weights, pieces of what looked like a mop handle for the strobe arm on his Nikonos camera and strobe, and dived in a drysuit that was mostly aquaseal and duct tape. All that was missing was a "Will dive for food" sign to complete the image. But the dude was a good diver and a great dive buddy ... and everything he wore functioned well enough to do what he wanted it to.

I think what it boils down to is whether or not you know how to differentiate where you can cut costs ... and the difference between getting a bargain and just being cheap ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)
 
I don't cheap out on items that bring air to my lips, regs, hoses, O-rings,(changed often) service. That is I buy what I know from experience to be the best, it may be used and not cost a lot but, it is still the best. My mask was purchased at Wal-Mart for $12-$13 back in the 90's. My fins I got on Ebay used and cheap, I even found a great deal on a new B/P wing on Ebay. My PDC is the cheapest I could find as it was bought more for show than for use, to show the dive op. Some things are fine to buy cheap others not so much.
 
I don't like this post..... if borders on the "life support" scare.....

educate yourself, and "Do It Smart"....

I bit my tongue through the "Where can I buy a cheap liberal dive computer that will allow me to make 5 liveaboard dives per day" because the OP obviously had no clue that a dive computer doesn't prevent DCS. Cheap computers don't actually have an O2 algorithm, they have a timer, and if you dive a cheap computer on a liveaboard, you'll be out on O2 by the end of day 2.

For many divers, dive equipment is "Life Support", and they rely on it to be so. It's kinda funny when I poll divers who come on my boat. First, only about 5% know SB exists. Of that 5%, half are signed up, and maybe 10% actually post. We may think we're changing the world with discussions of life support equipment, and dive your training, and teach neutrally buoyant.

In reality, we don't really amount to a fart in a windstorm.
 
Let me clarify this for you Pete. If I am a new student and know nothing about scuba then I would assume that to get a (pick the agency) C-card, the training must be very similar from shop to shop. After all, instructors need to teach to the same standards, right? So the shop with the $150 Group-on deal seems like a much better value than the $500 another shop charges.

As for used regulators and other equipment, does it really matter how the former cared for it if it is getting it serviced? The worst that will happen is the person will lose their money on equipment that is not repairable, not that they will die. Also truly trashed equipment is usually pretty easy to spot.

As for the annual service, originally the dive industry used to recommend servicing when there was a problem and sold regulators with repair manuals and spare parts. Then when diving became mainstream, suddenly a diver needed annual service even though many if not most divers only make a handful of dives per year. Now thanks to Atomic, the industry now says you can go two years between service when nothing has changed except industry competition. The truth was very few divers needed their regulators rebuilt annually, it was just a ploy to make additional profit.

In scuba as in most things you rarely get what you pay for. The higher end gear adds bells and whistles which adds little value to the consumer but adds much more profit to the manufacturer. For example Apeks is running a deal on an ATX-40 set, 2 seconds, a DST, gauges and hoses for $450. To get the same thing in an XTX-50 it is roughly double. Is the XTX-50 twice as good as the ATX-40? I don't think so. Does it cost Apeks twice as much to make it? Again, I don't think so.

What exactly am I doing in this activity? The dive industry tells me this hobby is fun, relaxing and perfectly safe. It is marketed to children, older people, and even the handicapped.

Pete, it is really beneath you to try to scare newbie divers like this. Your posts are generally pretty good.
 
do you need a Lexus if a Ford can do?
do you need a custom built stick framed home when a mobile home (trailer) can do?
do I have to go to an Ivy League College vs. a State School?
Do I need a Benelli or a Mossberg?
GPS or a Gazateer & a compass?

Good lord, I'm hoping you intended something else, and it just came out wrong..... this doesn't seem you....
 
Why should anyone care what I want?

If I want a Lexus instead of a Ford, what business is it of yours?

If a Ford suits you then have at it. I don't care.
 
https://www.shearwater.com/products/teric/

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